Carolina focuses on defense, size in later rounds of NHL draft

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Raleigh, N.C. — After drafting defenseman Hadyn Fleury with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes continued to focus on their blue line, picking two more defensemen and a goaltender Saturday.

Carolina selected goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (Plymouth, OHL) with the 37th overall pick. Nedeljkovic, 18, was named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year in 2013-14. The 6’0”, 184 pound goaltender was the starter for Team USA’s gold-medal winning 2014 U18 World Championship team.

The Hurricanes used the 67th overall pick to select left wing Warren Foegele of Markham, Ont. The 18-year-old led the Saint Andrews (Ontario high school) with 58 goals, 49 assists and 107 points as the Saints captured the 2013-14 MacPherson Tournament, Midwest Prep Hockey League and Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association Championships. Foegele is committed to the University of New Hampshire.

Carolina used the first of their fourth round selections on a Raleigh native. With the 96th pick, the Hurricanes chose Josh Wesley, son of former Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley. Wesley is a former Junior Hurricanes defenseman and is the first North Carolina-trained player to be drafted into the NHL. He is also teammates with the Hurricanes second round selection, Nedeljkovic, in Plymouth.

With the 97th pick, the Hurricanes selected Swedish center Lucas Wallmark. The Umea, Sweden, native split the 2013-14 season between Luelea of the Swedish Hockey League and Asploven of Sweden’s second division, accumulating 18 points total in 52 games. Wallmark was a part of the silver medal winning Team Sweden at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The Hurricanes used their fifth round pick, number 127 overall, to select center Clark Bishop of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The St. John’s, Newfoundland, native finished with 33 points in 56 games with Cape Breton in 2013-14.

With their final pick of the draft, the Hurricanes selected defenseman Kyle Jenkins 187th overall. The Brampton, Ont. native scored seven goals with 18 assists and posted a plus-6 plus/minus rating for Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL in 2013-14, his first full season in major-junior hockey.

Ken HeffnerJun 29, 2014

I saw the Bleacher Report gave the Canes a D when grading each team's draft. "The team did pass up on some potentially elite offensive talents, however, which leaves it open to some criticism before Fleury proves his worth in a couple of years.

The Hurricanes got caught up in the goalie run in the second round, again passing up on forwards when they already have three netminders at the NHL level."